Between the Bestiary and the combat section in the Rulebook, I can't seem to come to a conclusion.
I'm thinking maybe soft cover (+4AC vs ranged) or is that too much?
Would it depend on the size of the creatures in the swarm?
What about melee attacks against a person being swarmed? At first I thought there would be no penalty to walking up and smacking them, but some swarms, depending on size, take half damage from weapons. Would you be able to hit the person with the swarm in the way?
Thoughts?
By strict RAW, big creatures provide cover.
I would argue that swarms provide partial concealment, however, since you can shoot through them and even stand in the midst of them, but they obscure vision.
GM call.
I'd rule that if it was a swarm of insects or something then I might give 20% concealment to something either within the swarm or on the other side of a swarm. I doubt there's anything in the rules to suggest you do give cover or concealment though. Its one of those things where you and your GM just decide what makes sense to you. If he says no, then end of story. If you are the GM then just decide which way makes sense to you.
Ah, I always forget about concealment. I like the sound of that.
And yes, I am the GM. Just looking for some opinions on the matter, because I know for a fact it will come up during the next game.
Thanks.
GM call.
I'd rule that if it was a swarm of insects or something then I might give 20% concealment to something either within the swarm or on the other side of a swarm. I doubt there's anything in the rules to suggest you do give cover or concealment though. Its one of those things where you and your GM just decide what makes sense to you. If he says no, then end of story. If you are the GM then just decide which way makes sense to you.
As much as it makes sense (and I like the concealment opposed to the cover) technically a swarm is a singular creature. It would provide cover by the rules. If the particular swarm creature in mention had some quality that allowed you to shoot through it, it would be mentioned in the creatures write up. As it stands none of them have that in the bestiary and so the normal rules of cover would apply. Any other modifications to that would be a house rule/AKA GM's call.
Even the tiniest creature could be cover in certain circumstances and while I understand the theory behind the concealment decision... The rules don't make that distinction. If you decide to rule that way, let the gamers know ahead of time as it would be a house rule, not RAW. By the rule set, it is one "solid" creature made up of numerous smaller creatures. The cover bonus to AC is a conglomerate of hard to target around something between you and the opponent and possible deflection issues. As far as the rules are concerned a mass of X creatures in the swarm getting in the way of the shot is the same as someone swinging a weapon and their limb/weapon being in the way of the shot.
It also depends on the swarm. It would be difficult to justify claiming that a swarm of spiders between an archer and his/her target provided cover or concealment.
It also depends on the swarm. It would be difficult to justify claiming that a swarm of spiders between an archer and his/her target provided cover or concealment.
I was going to say the same thing.
GM call? Yes. Reasonable? Seems like it to me. Its just another example of why PNP roleplaying rocks. Because there's a thinking being behind the GM screen and not a computer that must choose option A, B, or C. The thinking being could even go way off the map and say something else entirely but that's within his rights to do so.
So yeah, long way of saying "go with what feels right and makes your game more enjoyable for everyone."